Material handling apparatus



H. O. BISSELL MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 13, 1,950

Oct. 16, 1951 ...11H1 .INI lumi Vi.. .QN

Patented Oct. 16, 1951 MATERIAL HANDLING APPARATUS Herbert 0. Bissell, Hamilton, Ohio, assignor -to Armco vSteel Corporation, Middletown, Ohio,

corporation of .Ohio

Applicationv January 13, 1950, .Serial No. 138,478

9 Claims.

This invention relates vto material handling apparatus Vand more particularly .to apparatus for 'handling coke -in a by-productcoke plant.

In a coke plant fit -is nconventional to have :a battery of cokeovens disposed in a row --with 'a track running along the fdischarge Iside of the battery of ovens Tfor 4a :quenching car.' As the icokin'g operation 'of one Iparticular `oven is -finished the .coke -s discharged therefrom into a 'quenching car which is then .run -to a Yquenching tower wher-e it Vis Adeluged with a 'great `quantity -of water -in -a very 'short time so-as to `lower the `temperature of the cokexbelow the combustion temperature. The quenching -car then `is -moved to a so-called wharf which usually comprises Van inclined surface lined with fire brick-or kthe 'like and terminating 'in la -series -of -doors or gates Vvbehind and under which passes aiconveyor Vbelt. The coke `is dumped onto such awharf and lis there inspected by the wharf operator to determine whetheror not any -fires-are present. The kwharf gate walkway isequipped with .waterhoses and the operator manually controls these hose lines and water Valves to extinguish sporadic res which .may occur. When the .operator is convinced that lnoresare present he opens the doors `orgatesmentioned above and permits thecoke to '.pass onto .the .conveyor belt `at a ,manually controlled rate, .and hthe coke is then moved by the `conveyor belt- .to a screening .and `loading :station `for nfurther .use. `As `a .general .practice the spot quenching operation is combined with the manual opening and .closing .ofgates to regulate the feed of .coke onto .the conveyor in such `a manner as to -get required .screening in .following apparatus.

Visual `perceptionfis limited by .atmosphere conditions such as highor adverse winds. Physical agility on the part olf the operator is important.

'It is, of course, of great :importance to see to it 'that no r-es are .present in. the coke not only because such fires are wasteful vin that the coke is consumed but also because of damage to .and consequent ioreshortened useful service life of Vthe conveyor belt.

It is of further importance to .regulate the rate of iiow of coke .onto .the conveyor to eliminate excessive wear thereof and spillage of coke to surrounding areas. Mechanical restraints to spillage such as skirting or baiiies can be eliminated with proper regulation oi feed. The alignment o'f fthe conveyor can be improved by using a single loading 'point which this invention provides, and thus 'further increase Yin service life can be expected.

Conditions at 'a coke wharf are extremely un- "pleasant, not only'because di the, .heat present Y2 but because of the steam, smokeand fumes VVissuing from the pile of coke which often render `Athe visibility zero.

With the -Yforegoing considerations in vmind it is an object Yof my rinvention to provi-de means whereby the coke dumped cfrom the quenching car Vis automaticallyinspected for .nre and Vis automatically extinguished .if re is present .and whereby the-coke is fedevenlyand'at a predetermined .rate .onto the conveyorbelt. Itis .another object of my invention to enable these operations to be carried .out without the necessity Yof having personnel present, thereby reducing physicalhaz- `ard .to personnel and eliminating unpleasant working conditions.

These and other .objects of vmy invention which I shall-explain in more detail hereinafter or which will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art upon 4reading these specifications I accomplish by that certain construction .and arrangement of parts of which I shallnow describe anexemplary embodiment.

Reference is made to the drawings forming a `part hereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an .apparatus according to my invention. n

.Figure 2 is a .front .elevational view .of .the

same.

Figure 3.is a cross sectional view taken on .the line 3-3of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the operation of the fire extinguishing means.

Briefly, in the practice .of my invention I substitute for the conventional wharf, which is disposed between the quenching. car tracks .and the conveyor belt, a hopper which is arranged to deliver the coke through a relatively long and narrow delivery opening onto a vibratory trough which extends beyond one end vof the hopper. The vibratory trough feeds the coke gradually and evenly at apre'determined rate onto the conveyor. I provide means directed at the exposed end of the trough for measuring the temperature of the coke thereon, and I also provide re extinguishing means directed at the exposed end of the trough which Yfire extinguishing means are made operative in response to 'indications from the temperature measuring means.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, I have indicated the quenching car track at l0 and the quenching car Vitself is indicated at 'Il and will be understood to travel on the 'track l0 along the 'front of abattery of coke ovenswhich will be understood `to 'be to the left of 'Figure 3 and tothe top of Figure l. 'The quenching 'car 'l I itself 'forms no part o'f the present l'invention plifying means 31.

and may be of conventional construction and design. It usually comprises a sloping oor I2 and a door I3 by means of which the coke in the quenching car can be dumped onto the wharf.

The conveyor on which the coke is carried from the wharf isindicated at I4 and it is in all respects conventional. The return flight thereof is indicated at I5. A platform including a catwalk for inspection of the Wharf is shown at IB.

Between the quenching car tracks IIJ and the conveyor I4 I provide a hopper indicated generquenching car to insure that coke being dumped from the quenching car will enter the hopper.

The hopper itself may be lined with fire brick or other suitable material as indicated at 22.

Immediately beneath the delivery opening 20 I provide a trough 23 which will preferably have side and back edges as indicated at 24 and 25 respectively. The end of the trough which is on the side of the conveyor I4 extends beyond the hopper as best seen in Figure 3 and is open at the end.

In order to move the coke from the hopper Y along the trough to the conveyor I4 I use what is known in the trade as a vibratory conveyor feeder. Such feeders are well known and a very brief description thereof will be sufficient. The trough 20 is mounted on a series of leaf spring members 26 which in turn are mounted by means of brackets 21 or the like to a structural framework 28. The vibratory device is indicated generally at 29 and may be of the type wherein fluid under pressure enters a chamber having a diaphragm at one end towhich is secured a stem for a valve disposed at the other end so that as the pressure increases the valve is opened whereupon the pressure drops, and the valve in effect vibrates back and forth rapidly. The vibration ,may, of course, be produced electrically or in other ways. An arm 3ll-secured to the vibratory member is connected to the trough 2U as indicated at 3|. When the feeder 29 is operated the trough 20 is vibrated back and forth rapidly and by virtue of the sloping spring mounting at 26 the materials on the trough are caused to move toward the right in Figure 3.

The exposed end of the trough 20 which is just above the conveyor I4 is utilized for re inspection according to the present invention.

. I have indicated at 32 a device known as a renecting pvrometer. As best seen in Figure 4, this device employs a mirror 33 which focuses the heat rays entering the tube 34 to a point 35. At

, this point there is mounted a sensitive thermocouple indicated at 36 which is connected to am- Thus the current generated in the thermo-couple 36 by the heat rays focused at by the mirror 33 are amplified at 31 to useful values. According to my invention the current from the amplifier 31 is used to operate a relay 38 which energizes solenoids 39 to actuate valves 43. The valves 4U control the flow of water to the quenching nozzles 4I which are directed at the exposed part of the trough 20. The reflecting pyrometers 32 are adjusted so that if any of the coke on the exposed part of the trough 20 reaches undesirably high temperature the relay 38 will be energized to throw the solenoids 39 to open the valves 40 whereupon a spray of water is directed at the exposed part of the trough 2U. One or more of the spray nozzles may also be directed at the conveyor belt itself to insure that no combustion takes place Vupon the belt 'as seen in Figure 3.

The operation of the apparatus will be evident from what has been said above. After the coke in the quenching car II has been quenched, the caris positioned opposite the hopper I 1, and the door I3 is opened to dump the load of hot coke into the hopper I1. By means of the vibratory feeder 29 the coke is continually fed from the bottom of the hopper along a trough 20 where it is permitted to fall upon the conveyor I4. During this procedure it is subject to constant inspection by the reflecting pyrometer or pyrometers 32 so that if at any time the temperature of the coke reaches a level to endanger the conveyor, the valves are operated automatically to cause a quenching stream of water to fall at least upon the extending part of the trough and if desired also upon the conveyor I4 if it is exposed to elevated temperature.

In this way the presence of an operator is no longer required to regulate the proper flow of coke and to carry out spot quenching thereof. The hazard to personnel and the unpleasant working conditions for personnel are thereby eliminated. Weather conditions such as high or adverse winds will not hamper the uniform flow of coke to the screening apparatus which follows this operation.

It will be understood that numerous modications may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore do not intend to limit myself in any way other than as set forth in the claims which follow.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In material handling apparatus, in combination, a material hopper, a conveyor, a feeder over which said material passes from said hopper to said conveyor, a portion of said feeder being exposed, re extinguishing means directed at the exposed portion of said feeder, and means responsive to combustion heat of said material for initiating the operation of said extinguishing means.

2. In apparatus for handling coke, in combination, a coke hopper, a coke conveyor, a feeder for feeding said coke from said hopper onto said conveyor, a portion of said feeder being exposed, re extinguishing means directed at the exposed portion of said feeder, and means responsive to combustion heat of said coke on said exposed portion of said feeder for initiating the operation of said extinguisher means.

3. Material handling apparatus comprising a hopper for receiving material to be handled, said hopper having a delivery opening, a material receiving trough disposed below said delivery opening and extending beyond said hopper, means for producing a feed of said material toward the extending end of said trough, a conveyor disposed beneath the extending end of said trough to receive material therefrom, means for measuring the temperature of said material on the extending portion of said trough, and re extinguishing means disposed to project a re extinguishing substance onto said material on the extending portion of said trough, and operatively connected to said temperature measuring means to operate in response to indications from said temperature measuring means.

4. Material handling apparatus comprising a hopper for receiving material to be handled, said hopper having a relatively long and narrow delivery opening, a material receiving trough disposed below said delivery opening and extending beyond said hopper, means for producing a regulated feed of said material toward the extending end of said trough, a conveyor disposed beneath the extending end of said trough to receive material therefrom, means for measuring the temperature of said material on the extending portion of said trough, and re extinguishing means directed to project a fire extinguishing substance at the extending portion of said trough, said extinguishing means being operatively connected to said temperature measuring means to operate in response to indications from said temperature measuring means.

5. Material handling apparatus comprising a hopper for receiving material to be handled, said hopper being of rectangular horizontal cross section and having opposed sloping sides converging at the bottom to a relatively long and narrow delivery opening, a material receiving trough disposed below said delivery opening and extending beyond said hopper, means for producing a regulated feed of said material toward the extending end of said trough, a conveyor disposed beneath the extending end of said trough to receive material therefrom, means for measuring the temperature of said material on the extending portion of said trough, and lire extinguishing means directed to project a fire extinguishing substance at the extending portion of said trough, said extinguishing means being operatively connected to said temperature measuring means to operate in response to lindications from said temperature measuring means.

6. Material handling apparatus comprising a hopper for receiving material to be handled, said hopper being 'of rectangular horizontal cross section and having opposed sloping sides converging at the bottom to a relatively long and narrow delivery opening, a material receiving trough disposed below said delivery opening and extending beyond said hopper, means for producing a regulated feed of said material toward the extending end of said trough, a conveyor disposed beneath the extending end of said trough to receive material therefrom, a reflecting pyrometer disposed to measure the heat of said material on the extending part of said trough, re extinguishing means directed at the extending end of said trough, signal transmission means between said pyrometer and re extinguishing means, and means responsive to a signal from said pyrometer that the temperature of the material on the extending portion of said trough is at combustion level for initiating the operation of said extinguishing means.

'7. Material handling apparatus comprising a hopper for receiving material to be handled, said hopper having a delivery opening, a material receiving trough disposed below said delivery opening and extending beyond said hopper, means for producing a regulated feed of said material toward the extending end of said trough, a conveyor disposed beneath the extending end of said trough to receive material therefrom, a reecting pyrometer disposed to measure the heat of said material on the extending part of said trough, nre extinguishing means directed at the extending end of said trough, signal transmission means between said pyrometer and re extinguishing means, and means responsive to an indication from said pyrometer that the temperature of the material on the extending part of said trough is at combustion level for initiating the operation of said extinguishing means.

8. Material handling apparatus comprising a hopper for receiving material to be handled, said hopper being of rectangular horizontal cross section and having opposed sloping sides converging at the bottom to a relatively long and narrow delivery opening, a material receiving trough disposed below said delivery opening, said trough being longer than said delivery opening and disposed to project beyond said hopper at one end, vibratory means for said trough to produce a regulated feed of material thereon toward the extending end thereof, a conveyor disposed beneath the extending end of said trough to receive material therefrom, means for measuring the temperature of said material on the extending end of said trough, and re extinguishing means directed to project a nre extinguishing substance upon the extending end of said trough, said extinguishing means being operatively connected to said temperature measuring means to operate in response to indications from said temperature measuring means. f

9. Material handling apparatus comprising a hopper for receiving material to be handled, said hopper being of rectangular horizontal cross section and having opposed sloping sides converging at the bottom to a relatively long and narrow delivery opening, a material receiving trough disposed below said delivery opening, said trough being longer than said delivery opening and disposed to project beyond said hopper at one end, vibratory means for said trough to produce a regulated feed of material thereon toward the extending end of said trough to receive said material therefrom, a reiiecting pyrometer disposed to measure the heat of said material on the extending part of said trough, re extinguishing means directed at the extending part of said trough, signal transmission means between said pyrometer and re extinguishing means, and means responsive to a signal from said pyrometer that the temperature of the material on the extending part of said trough is at combustion level for initiating the operation of said extinguishing means.V

HERBERT O. BISSELL.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Kentner May 15, 1934:

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